Dust off the mirrors
I have a small dining room table in my bedroom, where I put all my beautifying stuff, such as makeup, jewelry, and hats. An antique mirror hangs on the wall above it. On the table sits a traveling makeup mirror with the magnified side facing me, to put on my mascara, eyeliner, and eyebrow color. Next to the traveling mirror on the right, is a regular table mirror given to me by my mother, framed by silver flowers, which I use in blow drying my hair and doing skincare applications.
It had been a while since I dusted and thought the area and mirrors could use it. Dust isn’t something I think of consciously, rather it's in the back of my mind. Dust is the negative thoughts of the enemy’s attack on the soul, deep within the subconscious. Like water that drips on a cold night, to keep the pipes from freezing, one particle at a time, gathers on the reflective glass into which we look.
Unlike the early morning responsibility in freezing weather to turn dripping water off in the bathroom and kitchen, one doesn’t rise and think, “I need to dust the mirrors.” Oh sure, there are those few unique personalities that might have a desire to dust, so they might make the time to put a dusting rag to it. However, I would guess that the norm usually is to put it on a list to do another day, which usually turns out to be three times or so a year.
Well, it was that day for me, because God spoke to my heart and said, “dust the mirrors.” I went over to the metal rolling bin by our bathroom door, stacked with small hand towels and bath cloths and used the old white rag I normally use to dust. As I sat in the flowered vintage chair in front of the table, I picked up the travel mirror and dusted the front and back of it. I noticed immediately on the magnified side, how clearer my reflection was. Next, I picked up the mirror that my mother gave me, realizing that it had a lot of dust collected over the glass.
The Lord began to give me a revelation, as He showed me that the same thing happens to our self-image when the enemy attacks our hearts and minds. Without realizing it, the subconscious flings up negative narratives of the wounded parts of the soul, which still need wholeness, and like the little dust particles bit by bit that gather on a mirror, before we know it, there’s no clear image of who we are. We get busy in life, living out our Christianity, without being mindful of these little attacks, which in the book of Solomon are the little foxes that spoil the vine.
15 “[My heart was touched and I fervently sang to him my desire] Take for us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards [of our love], for our vineyards are in blossom. 16 [She said distinctly] My beloved is mine and I am his! He pastures his flocks among the lilies.” Song of Solomon 2:15-16 AMPC
The Hebrew word for foxes is shûwʻâl pronounced shoo-awl' and means, “a jackal as a burrower, and a fox.” (SC Hebrew word # 7776) The ancient Hebrew symbols of the Aleph Bet letters that compose fox reveal the deeper meaning of the Shulamite’s issue with which she wrestles. The Hebrew letters are Sheen, Vav, Ayin, and Lamed. The ancient symbol for Sheen is teeth which looks like a “W,” and means to consume in the positive and to devour in the negative. Vav is the ancient symbol of a tent peg/nail and means to add and secure. Ayin is the ancient symbol of an eye and means to see, hear and experience. Finally, Lamed is the ancient symbol of a cattle goad, which looks like a shepherd’s staff with a prick in the curvature and means, tongue, control, and authority. Therefore, these Hebrew letters combine to form the word picture BEING DEVOURED BY THE TONGUE THAT HAS BEEN ADDED TO YOU, WHICH YOU NOW EXPERIENCE.
The little foxes are the negative thoughts of the enemy, burrowed in the small, as dust particles over the self-image. The Word of God is the dust cloth to remove it.
Jesus came to bring us life and life more abundantly, whereas the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. Therefore, in our process of working out our salvation in fear and in trembling, we are being pruned of the negative thoughts, which we take captive, realizing it’s the dust particles over our self-image, causing us to think poorly of ourselves. Moreover, from a microscopic view, these particles are the logs in the eye, causing us to perceive others through the narrative of the enemy, the accuser.
We can only love others, as we love ourselves. (Matthew 22:39)
As much as turning off the dripping water on a freezing morning, how much more do we need to dust the particles of the enemy’s lies from our soul, so we can behold ourselves through God’s Word, as we’re being transformed into the image of His beauty, as by the Spirit of the Lord.
“And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 AMPC
The Word of God is the mirror to which we look daily, waiting for the appearance of our reflection. As we dust the false narrative of the enemy’s lies off our souls, we see the Word clearly; it’s unveiled! We’re able to behold the beauty of whom God created us to be, seeing the transformation take place in our lives.
Saints, it’s time to dust the mirrors.
God bless!
Robin Kirby-Gatto